family photography

Maternity Session: When To Book

Are you expecting a baby? Trying to figure out if a maternity session is something you want to do? As a mom and a photographer, I highly recommend it. And you may be thinking, I don’t feel like I’m glowing or I just don’t have that cute bump all the other pregnant mamas have. Look, no one carries their baby the same, and no one “feels” good pregnant, but when you put on a maternity gown, do your hair and make up and show up to capture this session, I promise you, you will be so happy you made the choice to book this session.

Metro Detroit Maternity Photographer

FAQs

  1. When should I book my session?

    1. You want to book your session during your second trimester for around 30-36 weeks. We want you to be showing enough to see your bump but not wait so long that you are overly uncomfortable closer to your due date.

  2. Can my significant other and/or older children attend?

    1. Absolutely. Your significant other and your kids are gaining another member of their family too. We want to capture their excitement as well as yours.

  3. Can I do the session by myself?

    1. If you just want to have a couple images of yourself to capture your pregnancy, that is also totally fine. I have mamas all the time book sessions just for them, because they want to capture this time.

  4. Do you offer wardrobe?

    1. I do actually. I have a very small client closet but I am always looking to expand. If I have a dress currently that you want to wear you are more than welcome to use it for your session. If I don’t have one you like or in your size or your style, I have a photographer account with a great gown company and can always order you something to add to my client closet after your session.

  5. Do I have to wear a maternity gown?

    1. Of course not. If you want to wear maternity jeans and a tshirt, you totally can do that. I want you to feel comfortable during your session.

Metro Detroit Newborn Photographer

Whether this is your first or 10th child, I highly recommend having a maternity session. It might not be something you think you want right now, but I promise you won’t regret having this time of your pregnancy captured in print, to have and look back on forever.

If you have any questions at all, feel free to contact me and ask all the questions. I can also add on a maternity session to a newborn session or a Bean Sprout Package for a smaller session fee. ;)

Your Metro Detroit Newborn and Family Photographer

xoxo

Nina

How To Choose A Session Location

You're planning on booking a family session, which is, in most cases, stressful as it is. You already know you need clothes for your whole family, but I ask you what your vision is and if you have a location in mind, and you have no idea. Let me break down some of the spots we can do any session in and how to determine what location would work best for your family and your wall art.

First, what kind of people are you? Are you a Starbucks family that enjoys the city and drinking coffee together? Are you more causal and laid back and homebodies? Or are you adventurous and like to go hiking and be outdoors? All of these questions are very important in choosing a location that is right for YOUR family.

If you are a more urban family that enjoys going downtown and spending time window shopping, I would recommend a downtown/urban area for your session. Downtown Detroit has so many cute little gems of areas to have your session in, and we can explore with your family. Family sessions are not stiff and overly posed with me, I want you to be you and I want to capture who all of you are and your personalities and if we need to take it downtown and get coffee or ice cream, lets go!

Next, if you are homebodies and love staying in and making pancakes on Saturday mornings, followed by board games or bike rides, I want to capture that. If you have pizza night every Friday followed by popcorn and Disney+ on the couch, lets capture that. These moments are a season in your life, and I want you to be you, captured in your truest form. If you don’t wear dresses or want to frolic in a field chasing your kids, then don’t do it. Make your session about you and your family and what you enjoy doing together in the right now.

BSP_6041BSP.jpg

Most commonly we picture family sessions outdoors and in a field with mama wearing a beautiful flowy dress and all the kids are matching or coordinating perfectly. If this is you… fantastic. Let’s go play in a field, which is my personal favorite spot to be. There are so many varieties of things we can do when we are outside and in a field, which is why I most commonly recommend this. Playing outside and letting kids be kids, is the best. Also, it allows for bubbles, and honestly, who doesn’t love bubbles? In addition to a field, a beach or a creek are also a great way to add some variety to your session. If you have a session booked in the middle of the summer, lets head to the creek and splash!

Metro Detroit Family Photographer

If you need help choosing a location, do not feel like you cannot ask for recommendations and don’t feel like you need to be in a field or in the woods if that is not somewhere you are comfortable. I want to capture your family just the way it is and where you like to go. And, regardless of location, we are going to have fun and you’re going to have beautiful images/products to hang on your walls to enjoy for years to come.

Your Metro Detroit Family & Newborn Photographer,

xoxo Nina

Family Sessions: What To Expect

You are thinking about or have already booked a family session but what should you actually expect and meet up for the first time? First and foremost, I want you to be yourself. I want you use my dress guidelines but also make sure that you are comfortable and true to yourself. I also want you to know, that if you have young kids, I probably will unintentionally ignore you, I don’t mean to but as a mom to three toddlers I tend to engage with your kiddos during our walk to the location to get them to warm up to me. I will greet you and ask you how you are doing and normal small talk, but a majority of my energy will be spent trying to make a connection with your kiddos.

During your session I will get your “Christmas Card” pose image first while your children are at their best listening ability and then we play. I always make sure to try as best I can to get you that super traditional posed, everyone looking at me and hopefully smiling image first, because I know that’s what grandma is going to want. As parents, we like the real and raw images of our family and that is what I love to capture most, your true family connection in love, snuggles and play.

“Christmas Card” Picture … everyone looking at the camera.

What does real connection look like? Well, this is one of the reasons why I like to spend so much time getting your kiddos to engage with me, because I want them to let go and little and have fun with you. If you have toddler - elementary age kids, I always like to play with a blanket, whether its running under it or swinging them in it like a hammock and I also love to play ring-around-the-rosie. These two things are almost always a staple in my sessions. I also almost always throw everyone on a blanket and have you sit really close to each other and have different family members engage with each other. This can be, dad giving one kid a hug, or mom kissing her baby on the forehead, or even just family tickles for everyone.

Snuggles!

I also always try to get images of just dad and just mom with the kiddos and I have 2 reasons for this; First is, as a mom, I do not have very many images of me and my girls as much as I have some of my husband and them or them by themselves. As a mom and a photographer, I always want to capture the moments and I never seem to get into the pictures, so I always do this for my families. Second, grandparents. I know I know, grandparents want the whole family image or just their grands BUT sometimes they want their individual child with their children and not the spouse. I also strive to get individual images of each kiddo and just the kiddos together. Your kids grow so fast, seriously time does not stop moving when you have babies and capturing each of them individual is so important to me, to watch not only my own, but also your kids grow every year.

Finally, we let your kids go explore (within reason) and I always grab some images of just mom and dad. I think this is the most important part of your session and even if you don’t want me to do it, I will still do it because I have had more clients than not, tell me they are so happy I “forced” them to take those images because they didn’t realize how long it has been since they have taken pictures with their spouse/significant other. So this is always a must at the end of your session when your kiddos are over me and my shenanigans.

Overall, we have a lot of fun, laugh a lot, you snuggle and engage with each other and sometimes even forget that I am there, which means I did my job correctly. I will always guide you in prompts and some posing and some easy tasks to help with engagement and connection when needed.

So if you like to laugh and have fun and want to capture those cute connections between you and your significant other as well as your kiddos, I’m your girl.

I cannot wait to talk to you about what you are looking for in your session and meeting you soon!

Your Metro Detroit Newborn and Family Photographer

xoxo

Nina.